Conservation

Conservation is a key concern at Glamis and all management decisions aim to promote and maintain the beauty and natural diversity of the Estate, the wider Tayside area and Scotland. Glamis plays a pivotal role as the hub of activity for the local community and the estate is lucky to have the world renowned Glamis Castle as its centre piece. Using this status we are able to promote best practices in land management to maintain high levels of biodiversity but also develop sustainable carbon and energy projects to help tackle climate change.

Wildlife Estates Scotland Accreditation

After a significant amount of time and effort from the Game Department Glamis is very proud to have gained Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES) accreditation. WES started in 2010 and was developed by Scottish Land & Estates with input from Scottish Natural Heritage, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, RSPB and the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

The primary aim of WES is to promote the best game, wildlife and habitat management practices through an objective accreditation system. The assessment criteria set out by WES are as follows:

Commitment to best practice

Adoption of game and wildlife management plans that underpin best practice

Maintaining records of species and their habitats

Conservation and collaborative work

Integration with other land management activities (such as farming, forestry and tourism)

Social, economic and cultural aspects (such as employment, community engagement and communications)

The aims and goals of WES are fostered by the Estate and we are proud to hold the accreditation certificate.

Lera Hydro Project

The geography, ecology and hydrology of Glamis burn is such that in 2011 a micro hydro-electric turbine was installed in the estate sawmill using water fed from the existing Lera Dam.

The Lera Dam is situated close to the village of Glamis, within the estate boundary. The water from the stream exiting the dam was previously used to power a watermill at the current sawmill. The 57.6 kw turbine is now housed in the renovated mill building and the original water wheel has also been restored as part of the scheme. The hydro system produces clean, renewable electricity which is used to run the Saw Mill and the Estates Office, surplus electricity is then put back into the grid contributing to the UK renewable energy supply. During peak times the turbine can generate enough electricity to supply up to 48 average UK households.

Grey Partridge Count Scheme

The estate has been a member of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) for many years and actively supports the research they carry out, especially concerning the survey of songbirds. For a number of years we have been involved with the GWCT Grey Partridge Count Scheme after identifying a breeding population of grey partridge on the estate. The area is one of the most northerly involved in the scheme we aim to encourage other landowners in the area to become involved too. Since being involved with the scheme, awareness of grey partridge has increased and we have planted new areas of wild bird seed to help support the population and other species, such as the corn bunting. For more information visit: https://www.gwct.org.uk/research/long-term-monitoring/partridge-count-scheme/

Red Squirrel Conservation

The estate has an existing population of red squirrels that appear to have maintained their numbers over the past few years partly due to the considerate felling and replanting of Scots Pine to ensure their habitat continues and also the active grey squirrel control that is carried out. However, despite our efforts, increasing numbers of greys are encroaching onto the estate and this has called for a more wide scale control programme.

With the help of SRDP funding, the estate now has a formal trapping regime conducted by our experienced gamekeepers. It has been set up with the help and support of Ken Neill of Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS). The regime is proving very effective and will hopefully contribute towards limiting the northward migration of grey squirrels into more sensitive parts of the landscape.

Wind Power

Glamis has an ongoing policy to support and encourage renewable energy initiatives and as part of this there is an 8 turbine wind farm located at Ark Hill. Ark Hill is situated in the Sidlaw Hills and the site is approximately one square kilometre. The turbines have an export capacity of 6.8MW producing clean electricity for the National Grid.

Biomass

The Estates Office is currently heated by a biomass boiler which is run using wood grown on the estate. We are currently looking at plans to extend the use of biomass on the estate to provide heating and electricity from the estates sustainable resources.

Powmyre Quarry

Powmyre Quarry is situated just off the Kirriemuir to Glamis road and is managed by Breedon Group. The site itself covers 97.77 hectares and is a major supplier of sand and gravel.

Work at the quarry started in 2007 and has been ongoing since then. As areas are quarried and exhausted the estate runs a habitat restoration scheme to bring areas previously quarried back to life. This will include a man-made loch to develop the aquatic biodiversity of the estate and the planting of native trees.

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For further information please contact the Estate Office on01307 840242 or admin@strathmore-estates.co.uk